The present invention is directed generally the field of child safety devices, and more particularly to an apparatus for setting a boundary across a pathway, such as a driveway, so as to discourage children from venturing across the boundary and/or to discourage vehicles from entering.
It is well known that children are not always observant of safety risks. As such, an entire industry has developed that is dedicated to producing products that help protect children from injury. For example, Kidkusion, Inc. of Washington, N.C. produces a number of products that help shield children from the various sharp edges that exist indoors.
With respect to outdoor activities, one common problem is that children tend to wander away from play areas, even when specifically instructed not to. For instance, a parent may allow children to play on the portion of a driveway close to the house, but tell the children not to venture beyond a certain point on the driveway so as to keep them out of the street. However, once the children are playing, their attention to the relevant boundary markers is typically somewhat haphazard. One method of addressing this is to physically block the driveway with a large immovable object, such as a car. However, such objects themselves offer dangers, as they are typically fairly hard and unforgiving when fallen against. In addition, it may be inconvenient or otherwise undesirable to have to move a car just to establish a play zone. Likewise, it may be inconvenient or otherwise undesirable to have to move the car in order to allow unimpeded use of the pathway.
As such, there remains a need for child safety devices that allow for readily viewable boundaries across pathways to be established and removed.
The present invention provides a retractable barrier that is particularly adapted to providing a readily viewable boundary across a pathway, such as a driveway, so that a child may be discouraged from wandering outside, and/or to discourage vehicles from entering, the safe zone established thereby. The retractable barrier includes a main post assembly that rotatably supports a net carrier assembly for rotation about an axis. The main post assembly also includes an upper flange, a lower post mount, and a non-rotating cap. A net is secured on one end to the net carrier and has a secondary post is secured to the other end. A spring is disposed between the cap and the upper flange. A first end of the spring is secured to the cap and a second end of the spring engages the net carrier assembly. The spring supplies a retraction bias to the net carrier assembly. A first ground sleeve is inserted in the ground and adapted to releasably engage the lower post mount. A second ground sleeve is inserted in the ground and adapted to releasably engage the second post. The barrier is moveable between a retracted configuration and a deployed configuration. In the retracted configuration, the net is substantially wound onto the net carrier assembly. In the deployed configuration the lower post mount is inserted in the first ground sleeve, the axis is generally vertical, the second post is remote from the first post assembly and inserted in the second ground sleeve, and the net extends therebetween.
With the net of the barrier device stretched across the pathway, a child playing in the protected portion of the pathway, such as riding a tricycle on a portion of the driveway close to the house, will be confronted with the visual barrier if they try to venture farther down the driveway and out onto the street. However, when it is desired to remove the device so that the pathway may be used unimpeded, the secondary post is simply lifted up out of the ground sleeve and walked slowly back towards the post assembly. The retraction biasing force of the spring will cause the net carrier assembly to rotate and thereby rewind the net onto the net carrier assembly. The post assembly may then be removed from the ground, leaving only the grounding sleeves in place.